Acha Leke- Crusader-in-chief; Propagating Change in Africa.

Africa, like an “Iroko” in its prime, stands strong; unyielding to the seemingly endless misconceptions surrounding it and ingrained in those unfamiliar with the diversity and opportunities the continent has to offer. A continent blessed with great benefits only the unbiased can see. Let he who says nothing good can come from Africa take heed lest he denies even his own existence, for indeed only in Africa are the beautiful ones born every day.

We, the proud seeds of this amazing Amazon must not relent in our profession, we must always stand to defend our heritage and celebrate the beauty of our estate.

Acha Leke is passionate about many things; paramount is his passion for unlocking wealth in Africa and changing the narrative of the continent.

“Africans need to tell their own stories and take control of their own fate,” he says “By nurturing our continent’s future leaders, we are gradually reaching this goal.”

As the industrious director and partner of McKinsey & Co; one of Africa’s fastest growing consulting firms, Acha has transformed McKinsey into the leading advisory firm in Africa, growing it from just one office in South Africa to six across the region, with 300 consultants working across 30 different countries in the region. A commendable job, anyone can tell.

Credit: Forbes.com

Acha Leke, heads the company’s African operations through its office in Lagos, where he has been since 2010. The pacesetter delights in very many things at McKinsey; though profound is his satisfaction at the extent Nigeria and Africa benefit from the accomplishments of the firm.

“There isn’t just one thing that I am proud of at McKinsey, but how the work of our team has helped shape the thinking towards Nigeria and Africa,” says Leke. “At McKinsey, Africa is a strategic priority of the firm, and through our work McKinsey has realized exactly how much value, opportunity and expertise Africa has to offer. Through this realization and McKinsey’s presence in the continent, we can drive the economic rebirth of the continent.”

Acha was a lead author of the seminal McKinsey report “Lions on the Move: The progress and potential of African economies.” A publication that has adjusted Africa’s growth vista and drawn new attention to her development prospects; it was named the best initiative that promoted Africa as an investment destination in 2010 and has been featured in publications such as The Economist and The Wall Street Journal.

About the “Lions on the Move” he says;

“People still consider Africa to be war-torn, riddled with disease and completely underdeveloped, but this is just not the case, obviously we still have our problems, but the report we published in 2010 really started to make people think otherwise.”

He is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and a member of the organization’s Regional Agenda Council on Africa. He was also selected by Forbes as 1 of the 10 Youngest Power Men in Africa.

Credit: iipdigital.usembassy

Acha’s work is mainly focused on supporting investment in Africa. He helped develop the strategy and business model for a new pan-African investment bank. He assisted a leading European development-finance institution in shaping an alternative investment strategy to deploy $1.5 billion across sub-Saharan Africa. He has also led due diligence for global and African investors looking to acquire major companies in the region.

Acha is a co-founder of the African Leadership Network, a network of elite African leaders who aspire to bring prosperity to the continent. He is also a co-founder and board member of the African Leadership Academy, a coeducational boarding school that aims to develop the next generation of African leaders.

This change maker is originally from Cameroon and speaks French and English fluently.

Lovelyn Okafor is a Journalist/Writer, Poet, Lawyer and God-Lover. She enjoys a good read and sees everyday as an opportunity to live and enjoy her calling whilst working towards perfecting it. She believes that someday soon, Africa will reach her full potential as the light-bearer of the world.
You can find her on Twitter: @lovelyn_o